The Ones Who Waited
by Owari
Summary: Malik lost his arm, his brother and he lost the woman he adored all on the same day. She was forced to marry Talal, a slave trader, because Malik had not come for her as he promised - Now he has returned but can he really face her like this?MxOFC
1. Chapter 1

Ani kol-kakh miztairet – I am so sorry (female)

_Aifo hayita_? – Where have you been? (Female)

000

"There are two informants in each district; Nakim and Adin are located in this district, Abbas and Rauf in the poor, Yasif and Nikil in the rich district. You will be informed of assassins coming to the city but keep the roof open as a rule in case of emergency visits – unless there is a danger of the bureau being discovered." The Rafiq looked around the bureau for a long moment and turned back to the other, "There are no visits expected anytime soon, so take the time to rest, heal and just adapt." He placed some medicine to dull pain and a salve for wounds on the counter, "The healer says to use them."

"Will they make my arm grow back?"

"…Malik…" the Rafiq frowned at the Assassin, he felt bad for the other, he was twenty six, the prime of his life, a fantastic Assassin who had everything he could ever want and was humble about it. And now, his brother was dead, his left arm had been amputated barely a two months prior, the Rafiq had also heard that Malik had lost a woman he had been serious about. "You may have lost many things, brother, but becoming a Dai is a great honour – you rank higher than most…even me!" The miserable look he received made him sigh heavily, he could tell just by the Assassin's eyes that he would go back to be a novice if he could have Kadar back. "At least it can get no worse…you may be at the bottom of the mountain now but you can only go up from here."

A month passed since Malik had spoken to the Rafiq, he had grown accustomed to life at the bureau and living in Jerusalem. He tried to train as much as he could but he fell often, he grew frustrated, angry and he cried often – for his brother, for his arm, even for Altaïr and he cried for _her_. Why had he been punished fir Altaïr's arrogance? He had always followed the creed, he trained hard, he studied tirelessly, he had done everything he could to help raise Kadar, he had tried to be a good friend when Altaïr became unbearable…so why? Why did he have to be punished? And what did Altaïr get? His rank stripped away but then he was given a second chance to redeem himself! It wasn't fair! Today he recalled what the Rafiq had said, 'At least it can get no worse'. So why did he feel like he had just had his heart forcibly torn from his chest and trampled?

He had left the bureau for some supplies and someone had bumped him causing him to lose balance and fall against a wall, "_Ani kol-kakh miztairet_! I was not looking!" Malik froze at the voice, he knew it…he knew who owned that voice and he could not look at her, "…M-Malik?" her hand rested on his right shoulder and she leant in to better see his face, "_Aifo hayita_? You never came for me Malik…why? I waited, all night for you." The Assassin kept his face turned away from her, he could not face her, not like this – she would be disgusted. "Malik! Do not ignore me!" he pushed her away and ran. Even when he heard her yell after him, Malik ran out of the mouth of the small alley he had seen her in and did not stop until he was back in his bureau – away from her. _Tahlia_.

00

She saw him through the mist of smoke coming from the hookah; his dark eyes watching her with a sharp intensity that almost made her stop her movements and stand paralysed by his stare. He was sat with two others, both dressed in similar clothing to the man who had caught her attention – white, like scholars, these could not be monks because a monk would never step foot into a place like this. She was simply a dancer and nothing more, she knew that many of the other girls offered there bodies and was thankful she was not forced to. She stepped down from the little stage and felt herself being pulled toward the men in the darkened corner, they would get the wrong idea and what would she say? 'I saw you looking at me and walked over.' Or maybe, 'Are you a sorcerer because I am under your spell.' he would laugh at her.

There was a movement from the hooded man sat with the man, she knew he was regarding her silently, curiously even and then the eyes of the youngest flickered up to her, his words drifting away as he forgot what he was saying. "Wow…" Tahlia heard the youngest's breathless sigh and giggled behind her hand, he was adorable. Kadar blushed, he had not meant to be heard by the dancer and he frowned as Altaïr and Malik chuckled at his embarrassment. Malik looked at her again, he knew he should not stare but she was an amazing creature. Caramel skin, blue eyes and long, wavy black hair that he was certain would feel like cashmere in his hands. Her eyes were lined with black and her plump lips were painted red, the same colour as her clothing, the skirt hung low on her hips, a gold belt richly decorated with cascading tassels keeping it in place and fell down to her ankles, which were adorned with golden bangles, the sides were split up the entire, long length of her legs and he wanted to reach out and stroke the skin of her thigh. More golden bangles wrapped around her upper arms and dangled noisily from her wrists, she held her clasped hands in front of her and the assassin could not help letting his eyes wander from the gold loops to her displayed body, he wanted to run his hands up that firm tummy, up her sides and come to rest on – "are you not cold?"

Malik stared back at his little brother in amazement, here was a beautiful woman, body presented like a gift and he was worried about her warmth! "The dancing keeps me warm and," she took one of the novice's hands and rested his palm over the material of her breast, "because of all the tassels and decorations, it keeps me warm." Kadar turned scarlet and she released him with a wink. The youngest stared at the top that left nothing to the imagination and matched her melt with nothing short of fascination. Malik felt a little jealous, his younger brother always got the attention, he was cute, shy and his pales eyes caught attention like Altaïr's gold ones. He caught her gaze as she stared at him, why was she over here? "I caught you staring." She said with a little smile.

The Assassin let a slow smile spread across his lips, "So you have caught me…" he tilted his head to the side, "what will you do with me?"

00

What she had done was cruel – she made him adore her, crave her…it didn't matter that she was promised to a rich merchant by the name of Tamir. He had promised that she would not have to marry him; he had said that as soon as his mission in Solomon's Temple was finished he would meet her by the city gates and he would take her to Masyaf. They had known each other for eight months prior to that mission, they had to hide in the shadows and meet secretly, it was a week before the mission – before her marriage to Tamir. Somehow, kissing went to touching, touching led to her begging him to take her and that led to him making promises afterwards that he would rescue her from the other man and that they could be together in Masyaf…

Malik knew as he staggered home that he could make it back and get her, he had visions of storming in on the ceremony, picking her up and running away with her in his arms but as his flesh was cut, his bone sawed and the skin burnt…he knew he would not be able to carry her. He could not go to her like this – deformed, broken and unworthy of her affections. The Dai kicked the little chess table over and threw anything he could get hold of, he raged and cursed and asked a god he didn't believe in – why him? She had seen him, but not the damage, she did not see the empty sleeve and for that he was grateful. She had been upset though, though he refused to look at her, he heard it in the tremor of her voice, the way she held onto him – did she think he had abandoned her? He would rather have her think that he had taken his pleasure from her body and then left her than let know what had really happened…let her see. No, he would pretend she never existed.

00

Tahlia walked the halls of the huge house she lived in, she had seen Malik…she had thought he was dead. She was happy that he was breathing; she was so relieved and glad. But it made her wonder; where had he been? He had promised to save her from Tamir, the forced marriage and her life in a shady little dancing hall. He promised! Malik kept his promises! He was kind, gentle…Malik had said they would be together. Why didn't he come for her? Why had he let her sit all night in the freezing night air and not come for her? she knew what he did for a living, she knew the dangers and when he hadn't come she thought he was dead – and then the news that part of the Temple had collapsed reached her ears; a body was pulled out and placed outside for someone to identify and collect.

It had been Kadar. She was told there were other bodies inside but it was not safe to retrieve them and so she claimed Kadar's body. She told her soon to be husband that it was her half brother and she wanted him to have a proper burial. It was done and she mourned for both brothers, she married Tamir, he was cruel and hit her if she displeased him – she prayed everyday that Malik would come for her. And then today, she found him or he found her! She thought hard about the brief encounter, he would not talk to her, he would not look at her and then he pushed her away and ran. Malik had run from her. "Woman, do not walk around my house as if someone had died!" Tahlia looked up startled, her husband stood before her with his face furrowed in anger.

"Forgive me…" she murmured and wiped at the tears she hadn't realised were falling – why had Malik rejected her? "I am not feeling well. I was just going to take a nap, it is what the healer suggested after all." Tamir stared at her for a long moment and brushed past. She sighed in relief and went into the bedroom he had just left. Now that she thought about healers, something popped up in her mind; Malik had felt hot under his clothing, in fact – his clothing was different! He wore a different uniform completely! Was he sick? Maybe he had run away because he thought he'd make her sick? It would explain why he didn't come for her sooner…he had come for her after all!

000

Chapter 1…just something I was playing with in my head – should I continue?

I am still doing Safety and Peace! Don't panic – just needed to get this out.

Iguanablogger is the bestest translator in the world!


	2. Chapter 2

hakol yihiye bihseder- everything will be OK

Ani mibubelet! – I am confused! (female)

Ahna - 'please' 'I beg of you!'

000

"Malik." The Assassin growled in frustration, she had been waiting for him and she had waited for the most inconvenient time for him to catch him off guard. They were stood at a stall that dealt paper, books and made inks of various colours; the bureau had run out of ink. He had ordered red, black and an emerald green, which was currently being made, he had to stand and wait. Tahlia had approached him from his right side; she stood next to him and picked up one of the books as if she wanted to buy it, "What happened? I thought you were dead…I saw Kadar's body and feared the worst."

He tensed at the mention of his brother's name; his body had been recovered from the temple? "What happened to his body?" he imagined it was left out in the sun to rot because he was not there to claim it. He had taken Kadar's weapons and everything that marked him as an Assassin, he had to make sure the brotherhood was not discovered, it had pained him to take the things that Kadar was so proud of and leave him in a deep, dark chasm; if he had been able he would have carried his baby brother back to Masyaf and buried him properly as he deserved.

"It is buried, that little mosque he was fond of…I did not know what he would have wanted but I remembered he liked that area very much and I had him laid to rest there, properly." She put the book down and reached for another, "It is clearly marked. You should visit…let him know he is not lost. Malik, please…why did you leave me for Tamir? Were you hurt? Are you sick? Why did you run two days ago?" Tahlia had watched carefully, she knew Malik had been heading toward the market when she had bumped him, she knew he would have to come back for whatever it was he had been wanting and she had been vigilant – wanting to catch him somewhere he could not run easily.

He stiffened, his purchase would soon be ready and he would have to turn to leave – she would see! He had to drive her away, "I am fine…I am grateful that you took care of his body, I would have come myself but I was injured." He knew she had perked up from hearing the reason why he had not returned, he still could not look at her though and he could not talk to her as if things were normal. "As for why I left you here and why I do not ever want to see you again." He heard her gasp but continued in a dead tone, "It was a mistake, you are not what I wanted and I apologise for taking advantage of your body but it is done now. Forget about me because you are already forgotten." He took his things from the merchant and thanked him, "I hope your husband treats you well."

"He beats me." Tahlia whispered and Malik made a huge mistake – he looked at her, he looked into the large blue eyes that haunted his every waking and sleeping moment. She was crying, he had made her cry, she was not sobbing though and they would not create a scene. But the tears fell down her cheeks, one slightly bruised, she wiped at them and he wanted desperately to make them stop, "If I do not do something fast enough, if I look at another man, if I speak in a tone he dislikes – he hits me….if I cry after he has forced me to bed, he beats me more. I had to watch him stab one of the servants to death because he had not gotten his bath ready quick enough!" she never spoke above a whisper and she never broke eye contact. "I am sorry I was not what you wanted."

It took everything he had not to follow her as she vanished into the crowd. It broke his heart to have to do that to her, to crush her hope so utterly and leave her to a monster like Tamir. He wanted to find the man and beat him, teach him that the woman he hit was more precious than anything that could be found in the world, break his bones and make him regret ever defiling her body. He wanted to make Tamir realise just how wondrous a gift he had been given! How dare he treat her so viciously! Than again, he had just crushed her emotionally…he might as well have struck her himself.

00

Once again, Malik asked himself quietly; why was he being punished? A young novice by the name of Adin was giving him a report on something that had happened earlier in the market and Malik was struggling not to snap his pen in his grip, "He was lecturing the blacksmiths, telling them that the order was behind and that if any of them wanted to feed their families they would work all hours. One of the workers yelled at him, told him it was impossible and who was the client that was so damn important – he had his guards beat the man to death…left him in a pool of his own blood." The novice frowned, "I…I passed out. I am sorry, Master."

"You are still recovering, Adin. I heard about what happened to your mother when Masyaf was attacked – but you must get this new found fear of blood out of your system! You can not ever hope to become an Assassin if you faint at the site of it!" Malik watched the boy with the scar across his nose carefully, he was plainly sulking at the lecture but he understood why he was being told off. "Is there more to this report? You look…disturbed."

"When I came to…there was more yelling. I thought another worker had risen up and was now meeting a similar fate but I heard a woman yell this time. I looked, he had the most beautiful woman I have ever seen by the throat." Malik knew that Adin thought every woman he had ever seen was the 'most beautiful', "the scholar beside me said it was Tamir's new wife, that she had not learnt to hold her tongue and was going to be beaten again. He backhanded her, yelled abuse and threatened to kill her if she did not learn her place…then he threw her to the ground and I swear he was going to kick her in the stomach but he stopped suddenly, as if he was about to make some sort of mistake." He jumped slightly as the wooden pen snapped loudly, the ink on the end splattering the page Malik had been writing on.

Malik was seething, who was this man to think that he could kill people as if they were nothing, to beat his wife publicly and cause such scenes, "What happened to her?" he had to know. He had to know she was still breathing and that Tamir had not caused any permanent damage.

"…he ordered his guards to take her home and lock her in a room." Adin wanted to back away, he could almost feel the waves of anger radiating off the Dai and mistook it for something else. "Master? Are you alright? Are you in pain?" the novice wondered if it was the man's arm, he knew it had to hurt still. Skin healed faster than bone, it healed faster than muscle and nerves – he knew that Malik would be feeling the horrible agony of his amputated limb for months to come and he knew that Malik was stubborn and often refused to take his pain medicine. "Can I do anything?"

"Stay here. Watch the bureau until I return!" Malik left the boy stood there in confusion, he heard Adin follow him out as he climbed, with less difficulty than when he had first arrived at the bureau, out of the roof and he gave the boy a nod before vanishing. Adin stood in the room and wondered what exactly had just happened.

00

Tamir's home was huge, Malik had made it through the gates and across the garden with ease, not a single guard spotted him as he made his way to the house and he remained undetected still. It felt good to use the skills he had learnt his entire life again, to know that, despite being inactive for three months, he was still in good form. His balance was improving the more he trained and he had regained much of his confidence when climbing; he still struggled and had to find different routes to get up the stone work of most buildings but he could still do it. He heard yelling coming from within the walls and recognised it as the slave trader's voice. He was barking orders at his servants, he heard the muffled voice of a female servant, she asked if Tahlia could be let out of her room – Malik didn't listen to anymore, he backed away from the wall and looked up at the dark windows, he walked around the corner and spotted the light coming from a room.

She had to be in there! Studying the wall carefully, he mapped out his route and began the precarious climb. Tahlia sighed unhappily as she looked in the mirror, that bruise had just about healed and now it was blooming nicely again. It was her own fault, she should not have reacted to the violence that her husband displayed, she should have stayed silent and pretended that she had not seen a man murdered in the middle of the market place but she had been angry. Angry at the cruelty of the act, angry that she could do nothing to stop it and she was angry at Malik! She had seen the look in his eyes after his cold words, his mouth had said cruel things but his eyes – those beautiful onyx eyes told her he cared. He cared for her, she knew he did, she knew he had not meant any of it and he wanted to take it back. So why? Why had he said those horrible things to her? Why was he trying to drive her away?

Tahlia stood up and tried the door to the room, she was hungry, she was tired and she felt ill. She heard a rattle on the wooden lattice at her window, turning around she expected to find a bird or large moth, "Malik?"

"Shush!" she covered her mouth and sent a wary glance at the door. Running to him she clung to the wood, her fingered poking through the gaps in an attempt to touch him, Malik put his hand against the wood and suppressed a smile as her fingertips tickled his palm. He planted his foot more firmly against the ledge of the window, he made sure she would not see his pinned up sleeve, even though there was risk of falling off, "I needed to know you were alright! I was told about what happened in the market and I had to know…_ hakol yihiye bihseder_."

"_Ani mibubelet_!" she hissed in irritation, "one moment you tell me you never want to see me again and the next you are telling me everything will be alright! Which is it Malik…you either care or you do not?"

He sighed and looked at the ground below, "…Tahlia…things are not as easy as they were."

"Why not? Take me away from here, smash this lattice and carry me to the ground! We can go to Masyaf or anywhere! As long as I am with you I know everything will be alright! Please, Malik! _Ahna_!" Tahlia didn't care, she wanted to escape from Tamir, from this horrible house and the constant fear, "you promised me, Malik…you said I would not have to be with that monster!"

"I can not! I can not take you away anymore – I…I can not leave Jerusalem, do you remember when I used to complain about the Rafiq and how he had to stay in the bureau all day?" she nodded slowly, not sure why he was mentioning it, "Well, I have his job…if the master knew that I had left to come here…"

"I would stay with you…I would learn to climb roofs and I would never let anyone follow me there…you said it looked lonely, please, I really do not care where I go – just let me stay with you!" the wood rattled between them as she leaned further against it, "take me with you!" he opened his mouth to reply but the door's lock was being turned. Tahlia turned around just as Tamir came in, he still looked severely annoyed at her and she barely suppressed a whimper, what would he do to her? Glancing to the window she saw that Malik had vanished – why wouldn't he save her?

00

Two weeks passed, he had not seen or heard anything of Tahlia and as he stood in front of his brother's grave he couldn't help but tell his worries to the marker. "What do I do? Everyday that she is trapped with that man is torture…even more so when I hear what he does to his workers. You know how I feel about her…but what can I do? I only have one arm! How can I ever entertain the idea she would accept me like this! Deformed and bitter." He remembered how she was when he did have a left hand, she was horrified by the missing ring finger, she would never look at it and she avoided looking or touching it. She would run away from him if she saw him now – he wanted severance from her but he did not want her to remember him as some pathetic cripple.

Foot steps attracted his attention and he swore under his breath – Tahlia. She saw him and paused, her expression uncertain as they stared at one another, his dark eyes flicked down to the little bunch of flowers in her hand. She had not come for him – she was here for Kadar. "I did not know you would be here…"

"I was just about to go."

Tahlia walked over and knelt down to place the flowers; she removed the old ones and looked helplessly at the grave. She missed Kadar, he was sweet to her, he always listened and then told her that Malik would know what to do. "I have a theory…will you listen?" she waited for Malik to answer before continuing, "I think, you got hurt during that mission, you had to go back to Masyaf, abandon Kadar's body and leave me here. You had to sit and recover but the injury was bad and you could no longer continue being an active Assassin and so you were forced to be a Rafiq…am I right so far?"

Did she know? Had she seen his arm? "Not a Rafiq…I was made a Dai. I can still perform my duties…all I need is a little more time and I will show them! I will not be left here to rot…I will not be forgotten."

"Congratulations…a Dai is higher than a Rafiq. Higher than your previous station – Altaïr must be very jealous!" she missed him grimace at the name, this was Altaïr's fault, he had taken everything from Malik! "…maybe, you thought you could come get me…and then you saw me and was disgusted. Because Tamir has made me dirty, because I am no better than any of the whores at that dancing hall…why would you want me now, right? You can easily go out and get someone clean, someone prettier, smarter…someone you can stand to be near."

Malik stared down at her with wide eyes, "no." he said quietly and then knelt beside her, "stop this! You never had a choice when it came to marrying him, a whore goes willingly to a mans bed and you have already told me you have no desire to be with him…that he hurts you because you are unwilling. Just because you can not stop him does not make you like those other women!"

"Then why do you not want us?"

"Us?"

"Me…I meant me." She corrected firmly, she had yet to look at him, more interested with the stone work of the mosque, "every time that man touches me, I feel sick…if I struggle, it is worse. He gets angry when I refuse to…I do not want to but he makes me and if I do not please him then he – How can you say you are not disgusted by me! I am ruined! He tells me all the time how I am lucky to be in his bed and that it was him who took my virginity! How much attention can he be paying me if he did not even realise that I was not a virgin when he first forced me to the floor!"

He pulled her against his right shoulder and let her rant and cry. "He can not leave a stain on you, Tahlia! He can mark you and hurt you but he can not ruin you. A diamond may get scuffed but it is no less precious! If I could take you away from him I would but I can not! I can not take you from Jerusalem, I can not even support you or give you home…I told you, things are not as simple as they were – circumstances have changed!" why could she not understand? He wanted to help her! He wanted to save her and give her everything she deserved! "If things were different…" he began to say but she pulled away from him.

Tahlia glared angrily at him, if he was not disgusted by the fact that another man had had her then what? What was keeping them apart? She told him she would go anywhere with him! "What is different?" she nearly screamed, luckily the mosque was in a quiet area and very few people were around to hear her angry shouts, "what is so damn different that you would break all of your promises to me? That you would leave me in the hands of that monster? Do you even care what he does to me? That he keeps me locked up when I disobey him? That I have a strict curfew that must be obeyed! Tell me why! Why did you leave Kadar's body to rot, why did you not come for me, why are you so determined to drive me away and them check on me? When did you become such a coward?" he said nothing to her verbal attack and she growled in frustration, "what about poor Altaïr? Did you leave him in the rubble too?"

"Poor Altaïr?" he spat, "Altaïr left me! He left Kadar! If he were not so arrogant my brother would still live! This is his fault!" how dare she take the other Assassin's side! If it hadn't been for Altaïr she would not be in this situation! How dare she blame him, "because of poor Altaïr my life is in ruins! I lost my brother, my rank, my arm and you!"

"…y-your arm?" he stopped, his jaw slack as he realised his outburst had revealed more than he had wanted and if he was honest…he was relieved. Wouldn't it be better for her to run from him now and stop questioning? He would no longer fear her walking toward him on his left, it had been pure good fortune he had hidden it this long. "_Ani mibubelet_..." Malik turned to face her and she stood frozen when she saw the pinned up arm of his left sleeve. Her face was blank as she stared, her blue eyes unreadable as she processed what she was seeing – or not, as was the case. So that was it…that is why he would not save her. her hand whipped to her mouth as bile clawed up her throat, Tahlia backed away quickly not wanting to let him see her like this but she barely made it out of the grave yard before she vomited quite violently.

"Do you understand now?"

000

Just a warning! This is not going to be a long story…I want to wrap it up by…hmm chapter five at most!


	3. Chapter 3

I would like to make a formal apology to Haardoni Talal…sorry…I mistook you for Tamir…so you are now axed from the story line and replaced by Tamir, the slave trader from Jerusalem! And not the weapons merchant from Damascus… (Yeah…I mixed them up – whoops!)

000

Malik made to walk away, his chest ached terribly and he could not stand to see her reaction. "Wait! Do not go!" Tahlia straightened up and tried to push her queasiness to the back of her mind – that was the worst time for her body to rebel on her like that. "I am sorry…I have not been well all morning and I thought it had passed." She was more than a little mortified, it was hardly attractive losing the contents of her stomach in front of the man she cared for and she was just grateful she had not soiled herself. She wouldn't want to walk around with sick on her clothing or in her hair, Tahlia wiped her mouth on a handkerchief she kept with her and tried to figure out what to say. But really…what was there to say? 'So, your arm fell off…shame that.' Or, 'bet that makes patty cake difficult!' this wasn't something they could joke about, it wasn't like a sprained ankle or a slight fever and it certainly wasn't going to get better. "I do not know what to say…"

"There is nothing you can say." He said quietly, "Go home if you are unwell." Malik walked away, leaving her stood alone in the empty space and unable to say anything. Perhaps now she would give up on her romantic idea of him coming for her, despite how badly Tamir treated her, he had money, he let her roam the streets unhindered – though no one would dare harm her for fear of her husband. If she learnt her place, if she just smiled and nodded, she would be well looked after for life. All he could offer her was an isolated life in the bureau, he would never be able to give her the things she wanted and really – why would she want that?

Tahlia sighed as he vanished from her sight, was that it then? She walked slowly in the opposite direction and squealed in surprise when two men nearly walked into her. They were Tamir's personal guards, they wore the black uniforms with yellow stripes and they were surprised to see her as well, "We thought you were visiting your brother's grave. What are you doing leaving so soon?"

"Did Tamir send you to spy on me?" she asked the man who had spoken, they were not bad men, they had no intention of harming her but she knew that if Tamir ordered it they would turn on her. "I felt ill…so I was on my way back to the house."

"Good," the guard said, "Because Tamir commanded that you come home, he is worried about his 'investment' and is not happy that you are out in such a condition." He placed his hand on her shoulder and began leading her back.

00

"Are you alright, Master?" Malik looked up at the novice who had come to report on people vanishing from the streets, "You just look like someone died." He watched Adin mentally slap himself as he realised what he had said and how close to the truth he had been, "Forgive me…you just look sad. Has something happened?"

Malik sighed through his nose, this boy asked too many questions, he noticed too much and he asked questions too boldly. He did not want to talk about how he had lost the last thing he had had left, how she couldn't say _anything_ to him or how she showed nothing – no reaction other than mild surprise. Was her being sick a reaction of the disgust she must have felt or was she really not feeling well? And if she was unwell then why had he left her alone? He should have made sure she was alright or followed her home…he should have found out what was wrong! Perhaps it was Tamir's abuse! Had he damaged her insides? Adin made a small noise and the Dai looked at him, "I went to Kadar's grave earlier…I am not entirely focussed right now."

"I understand…well I heard some really good gossip if you need a distraction."

"You are like a teenage girl."

"Then the monk who told me must be an old woman!" Adin huffed as he leant on the counter, "I was curious about Tamir's wife; apparently she was a belly dancer at a hookah bar, Tamir took one look at her and decided he was going to marry her, paid a king's ransom for her! but she was in love with someone else…" he failed to notice the older man stiffening as he continued with great enthusiasm, "so, behind Tamir's back she and her secret lover were having it away until something happened to him – the monks reckon he was just some godless jerk who took advantage of her. If that is the case then I think he is a fool…she is way too pretty to treat so cruelly."

Malik wanted to punch him square in the jaw, he didn't know anything! He did not leave her! He did not take advantage…they had only spent one night together and that was only because he thought he could take her away with him. "Is there a point to this, Adin? Or are you simply annoyed because someone lost a treasure like tah – " he bit his tongue and rephrased, "Tamir's wife?"

The boy stood up straighter, Malik's moods were so unpredictable lately, "well, what the shocking thing is. She is pregnant, the monk's sister is the one giving her advice." Malik froze, "I thought, 'well, she is married, what is the problem?'After the wedding, Tamir was called away for a month – hey did not consummate the marriage for a month! They have been married for three months and the monk's sister says she is further along than that! Imagine the scandal if Tamir found out, he would – "

"Kill her." Malik finished quietly. She was with child? And if it wasn't Tamir's then it was…his. He had to see her; he had to ask her if what his feather headed novice was saying was true. So this morning at the mosque she was suffering from morning sickness, her desperation to get away and everything else in between made sense now. Now what? If he left her in that house then no doubt she would lose the child because of the violence she suffered.

"I suppose that is why he stopped himself from kicking her that time in the street…he did not want to risk the unborn…still, who hits their wife like that!" his green eyes looked over the man again, "Are you sure you are alright? You look pale, master…and you are sweating." His hand was swatted away as he reached for Malik's clammy skin.

The Dai was in pain, he wasn't going to admit it though and definitely not to this boy. He had gone into anther of his rages after returning from the grave, he battered the wall with his fist, kicked things over and then threw himself against the wall; the impact of his still healing flesh against the wall caused the limb to burn like fire since. He needed to see Tahlia, if he drank the medicine to dull the pain he would fall asleep and he wanted to see her! "Adin…tonight, I want you to watch the bureau for me."

Adin smiled, "Of course, Master! I would be glad to watch while you rest." The novice's bright eyes excitement dwindled slightly as Malik sent him a guilty look, "…you are going to vanish again? Like that other time?" when was the Assassin going to realise he was still wounded and needed rest? Where was he going anyway? "Master, please. Where are you going? I can not justify keeping watch of the bureau and lying about where you are again…I am just a novice – the others will be angry if I lie to them." If another informant came in and asked where Malik was what was he supposed to say? The informer in the poor district would report Malik's abandonment in a flash; he had always wanted to be Rafiq of Jerusalem and if he had to destroy Malik to do it, he would!

Giving the boy a level look, Malik considered his options. He liked Adin, he was a good kid, he was smart, responsible and he had kept quiet about Malik's lack of care for himself and his disappearances. "Tamir's wife, her name is Tahlia and I was supposed to steal her from that man and bring her to Masyaf." Adin's mouth dropped open, "I am that 'godless jerk'."

00

Night time seemed to take forever to fall; Tahlia had watched the day pass her by slowly as she had little to do in the locked room. Tamir had decided that because of how frail she had been she had to stay out of the way, she had to rest and she had to drink the foul stuff the healer brought her. Though she would drink buckets of it as long as the woman kept her secret, if that man were to find out that she was four months and not three… it wasn't worth thinking about. Tahlia heard a scraping noise and sat up from her bed, through the wooden lattice she could see a familiar figure, "Malik…you will fall!" she hissed urgently and went to the window, "What are you doing?"

"I am trying to get in, it is a little more difficult than I thought and I really do not want Tamir's men seeing me."

"…it opens from this side. Hold onto something." She waited from him to move before she slid the wooden panel across and let him climb in. Tahlia put it back in place and turned to look at the man who seemed different, "you do not look well." She reached to feel his head and he flinched away, "You are such a baby! Malik, your hand…" she noticed his knuckles were bruised and scabbed over, what had this stupid man been doing since this morning? She told him to sit down on the bed and for once he obeyed, if she had been able to speak above a whisper she would have yelled at him but instead she went to a large cupboard and pulled out salve and bandage. "Do I still have to look after you?"

Malik watched silently as she tended his hand, it was just like before. She had always been his nurse since they had met; she would fuss over him and tell him off for being so reckless. "Why are you locked in here? Why does he not keep you in his room?"

"I have not been well. I get no sleep when he is near me and he would rather I sleep in a locked room than not at all…I guess he got sick and tired of me fainting during the day, or being woken because I feel sick." She tucked in the tail of his bandage and smiled at her work before looking at his left arm. Letting her smile drop, Tahlia stood and sat beside him on the bed, "I have a nice lady who comes to check on my health…she was worried about Tamir hurting me. She told him it would be better if I slept alone and that…he should not become intimate with me for a while."

"because it may harm your baby?" it was an innocent enough question but it made her lips quiver and her hands fly up to dig the heels of her palms into her eyes as she tried not to weep in front of him. "Tahlia…were you ever going to tell me? I know I am unfit to be a father now or even a lover but you could have told me."

"Unfit?" she covered her mouth with one of her hands, praying that the guards in the hall had not heard her little outburst. Lowering her voice again she levelled a glare at Malik, "It is an arm, Malik! Not your head or your stupid squishy brain! So what, you have to learn new ways to do things and give up clapping…why is this," her hand rested on his left shoulder and she looked him in the eye, "making it impossible for us to be together? If you truly are not repulsed by me because of the things I am forced to do as a wife…then why should I not want you either?"

"…you are so insensitive. I can clap – I hit a novice and they clap for me." He wiped the wetness from her cheeks and rested their foreheads together, "I have nothing, Tahlia, I have to live like a hermit in the bureau, there is only money for the very basics and without my arm I will never be an active Assassin again – even if I train until I am fully capable again. I can not give you what you need, you would have to be trapped in the bureau because Tamir's men would always be looking for you, there would not be enough for you to eat with a child on the way, then there will not be enough for the child when he no longer wants milk and from what you have said, you need the care of a healer very much and I can not provide one."

"but Malik…if I have a girl, Tamir will sell her and if I have a boy, I will be no more than a wet nurse as he trains our child t become a monster." Either way she was going to lose her child. "What do I do? You are the smartest man I know; I trust you and I need your help so much now."

She stared at his dark eyes as they darted abut the room; he did this when he was thinking quickly and she waited eagerly for his response. She would do anything he asked – "Stay here, be as submissive to Tamir as you can so you will not get hit and have the child here." – Except that. He saw the rejection by the furrowed brows and the angry line of her mouth, "Take advantage of his money, of the care he is offering you and this will ensure a safe birth for you both. Then I will have a plan in place, I will get you out of here and you and our child will be safe."

"And where will you be?" she asked, she still did not like the idea and he made it all sound so simple, "can you not…I do not know – stab him or something."

"No, but believe me, I want him dead. He is too much of a powerful man for me to just to cut his throat…if there was something, if he were abusing his power then maybe I could petition to the Master that Tamir should be killed." Otherwise there wasn't anything to be done and they were stuck back at the beginning.

Tahlia bit her lip as she thought carefully, "Malik…Tamir…he has been making horrible orders. I can hear him, I have read some of the letters in his room, well, little pieces because you know I am terrible at reading, he is stealing people off the streets. He orders his men to pick up whores and then imprison them in a warehouse of the middle district. The drunks and the crazy, children who are orphaned r stray too far from their parents…babies. He steals pregnant women and then sells their children to rich couples." He listened carefully, linking what she told him to Adin's claim of people going missing, the letters from acre about people vanishing, children and mothers. Was it coincidence or was Tamir taking from one city and selling them in Jerusalem? "Is that helpful? Is this bad enough?"

"…I think it is."

000

So not in the mood for writing these days…sigh. Safety and peace is being written still…just very slowly.


	4. Chapter 4

_Ahuvi_ - my beloved

_Ma_? – What?

000

Adin sighed boredly as he tidied the bureau, this was becoming a habit of Malik's, he would go off to meet with Tahlia secretly and leave the boy to do his duties. In exchange though, Malik had been letting Adin train with him, he had taught the novice much and gained much of his skill back; he fell less, his balance nearly restored as he became used to the way his body reacted to the missing limb. A thump came from the other room and Adin looked at the doorway curiously and gasped in surprise, "Master Altaïr! What are you doing here?"

"Where is Malik? He is in charge here is he not?" the hazel eyes surveyed the area for any sign of the man, worry clouded his vision; was Malik alright? The only reason he should be away would be in an emergency or if he were, "Speak! Where is Malik?" the novice jumped back at the stern voice, he quickly explained that Malik was out and that the man had left him in charge. Altaïr breathed a sigh of relief, for a brief moment he had worried that Malik had died from infection – the last he heard was that Malik was sent to Jerusalem and not healed properly. "I will return later…let him know…no, tell him nothing." He left the way he came and Adin frowned – he had hoped the other would stay.

00

"Do you feel that?" Tahlia laughed excitedly as Malik rested his ear against her stomach, "looks like the little one is awake." She ran her fingers through Malik's short hair and enjoyed her little bit of freedom, "Tamir has gone away, wanted to make sure his caravan got on its way and I convinced the men that watch over me to let me out on my own for a while…ow!" Malik pulled his head away and gave the bump an amused look, "how can an unborn be so strong?"

"It is a good sign, Tahlia, especially with how things have been."

"It was nothing!" she whined in irritation, every little wince she made caused Malik to look panicked. When she had met him earlier she was suffering from painful little cramps and he had practically dragged her to a healer.

Malik gave her an unimpressed look, "fevers, fainting, nose bleeds, headaches…that thing earlier – what happened?"

"Oh, Malik, that was normal…that woman said something about my body getting ready for when it is time; it happens to all pregnant women. And if that is all the pain I am to expect then I am relieved!" his head rested against her again, a tiny movement beneath her skin enrapturing him, "_Ahuvi_, I am worried. Two more months and our baby will be born…if I have a girl, I will not even get to hold her…he will take her away…you said you would figure something out." He glanced up at her worried features, she had said countless times that she was scared Tamir would take the child away and with each passing month her anxiety increased. He wondered if that was the reason behind her difficult pregnancy, it was likely her constant fear draining her energy.

He had thought about it, her best chance would be to escape from Jerusalem, the Rafiq in Acre had offered her protection, the old man had known Malik for many years, they played chess together and Malik would often help the old man when he visited the city. He could get her a home with one of his informants, she would pretend to be the informant's sister and stay with his family and because she carried Malik's child there would be money for her, not a lot but enough to feed her and the child. He would send what he could extra and she would be safe. His concern was if they waited for her to give birth; a girl would never even touch Tahlia's arms and a boy would be closely guarded. If they secured the baby then there was considerable risk to have a newborn and its mother travel across the holy land, the same risk applied if Tahlia went out now so heavily pregnant. "Every plan I have thought of is dangerous, it would not be safe to travel with a baby so young and the strain on your body if you left now would be too much…there is a – " he cut himself off and turned his head, his eyes flicking back and forth as he tried to find something.

"_Ma_? What do you hear?" she watched the Assassin survey the area, he had heard foot steps and seen crumbling stone fall from a nearby roof. Instead of seeing an informant, he heard the voices of Tamir's men, they argued over who was supposed to be watching Tahlia and he cursed silently – he had wanted to spend more time with her…with his unborn child as well. "Go, I will try to be here again tomorrow…I feel bad for always using Kadar as an excuse to leave."

"Kadar would have been happy that he could help you." He placed a kiss to the bump that was his baby and placed another on her lips as he stood, "I will be here…I will find a safe way to get you both away." She watched him speed away, the voices coming louder until two of her guards appeared around the corner.

00

Malik glared at Altaïr, why did it have to be him? "I told you, find your own information and return when you have a suitable plan – why are you still standing here?" it was bad enough that Malik had to put up with his presence; he did not want to pass the time of day with this man.

"I saw you with Tahlia." Altaïr answered coolly, "She is Tamir's wife and I thought I should find out her routine, especially as she is so heavily with child…I would not want her to be near when I strike down Tamir." It had been him on the roof overlooking the graveyard, he had watched them talk, watched Malik smile with every kick that came from within and he had made the noise that alerted Malik to the presence of the guards. He wasn't a complete fool, Altaïr knew of Malik's relationship with the dancer, he had helped hide it and he just knew that the child being carried was the Assassin's – Tahlia was the only thing the hadn't lost so completely. "What will happen to her when Tamir is gone? Will she still have a home and money?"

"That is not your concern, stay away from her and go about your mission. Get out, novice."

"Malik, she will nee – "

The older man cut him off, "She will need you to stay away! Everything you touch gets destroyed!" if this was Altaïr trying to make amends then he didn't care, he would have to resurrect Kadar, bring back a left arm and turn back time to make up for his arrogance! Even now, Altaïr behaved like he was better, like he could be forgiven because he showed some care toward Tahlia – who, Malik knew for a fact, Altaïr had had affection for. Well, she was not Altaïr's and therefore he could stay away from her and Malik's child. "Now leave or I swear I will jump over this counter and kill you myself!"

Altaïr stormed out of the bureau before he said something he would regret. He knew Malik would be furious, he had every right to be and if Altaïr thought a simple sorry would suffice he would have said so – but he wasn't in the wrong! Malik had unbalanced him in the temple; he had a clean shot at Robert! This was not entirely his fault…Malik had always been jealous… He had been told to start at the indoor market, there he was able to steal a map detailing the positions of guards and received useful information from an informant. He noticed one of the market guards watching him, hand on hilt and muttering to the one beside him, one wrong move and he would alert them. Standing in front of a fruit stall, Altaïr pretended to peruse through the goods whilst he thought how best to vanish. "You do not like green apples, Altaïr, why are you holding one?"

"Tahlia." He greeted shortly as she stood beside him, "I am a little busy right now."

"Avoiding the suspicious guards?" she smirked up at him, "I can think of a good way to get you out…especially as my own 'keepers' are near the exit. Why are you in Jerusalem? Does Malik know you are here?"

"He does, he has already told me that he wishes I were not but I am here for Tamir's life – it placated him only a little." He put the piece of fruit down and sighed in annoyance, "I tried to talk to him, I do not think a sorry will suffice…if he had not interfered none of this would have happened, I never wished Kadar dead – he may not have been my blood but…"

Tahlia gave him a slight glare, her blue eyes boring into the side of his hood, "'If he had not interfered'?" she hissed, "Do you not think you were in the wrong at all? No wonder he is so angry – I knew you were getting a little too big for your boots but I did not know you had grown quite so bad! One day you are going to come down from the clouds and realise that the ants you stepped on were your friends – your family!"

"Quiet." Altaïr glared back at her, his head jerking toward the guards, she had not been loud but her voice was rising with her anger, "if I could change Malik's fortune than I would, I would give him my own damn arm if that would fix anything…instead he calls me a novice, lords over me in his new position just like…"

"Like you did." Tahlia said when Altaïr could not think of a sufficient metaphor, "…Malik has not been the same, at first, he would not be near me, he tried to drive me away…thinking that he was somehow not worthy of my affection – he will not even let me stand that side of him, tried to hide the 'imperfection'. He wants so much for us both to be safe but away from him."

"I want to help, I know you can not live with him at the bureau and that he can not afford to house and feed two. He will not allow me to even speak of you. I can afford to provide for you, once Tamir is gone you will be able to stay in this city ad between Malik and I you and the child can live comfortably." Perhaps he could do it in secret, Malik did not need to know where the extra income came from, they could say it was something Tamir set up or she could pretend to have found a family member.

Tahlia smiled at his offer, but if Malik had refused then she couldn't accept without hurting the man's feelings, Malik already felt worthless as it was and she could not stand to put another dent in his already smashed confidence. "Thank you, Altaïr." She said quietly, "But you know I can not…I can maybe help you though. Tamir is coming back to Jerusalem in five days, he owns a warehouse where I think he keeps…" she trailed off, she hated the idea that people were being treated like animals, "he has many loyal men, all willing to die for him and he is an excellent archer. He is violent, easy to anger and he is very clever…you can not afford to underestimate him."

"Do you know where this warehouse is?" she shook her head, he didn't tell her these things, "I will find it." Altaïr promised as he glanced over his shoulder, the guards who watched him had relaxed while observing him chatting casually to a pregnant woman, "My offer is open always, Tahlia, if you need anything." He turned to go but her hand whipped out and held his sleeve tightly, Altaïr looked at her with confusion and then concern when she exhaled a pained gasp, "What is it?"

She didn't answer for a long moment, just stood with her eyes squeezed shut and her hand grasped in his robes – and then it was gone. "Sorry, just needed someone to hold onto…looks like it is starting again…please, Altaïr, do not wait too long to kill Tamir, he is not a fool, he will soon realise this is not his child."

000


	5. Chapter 5

_Zeh ko'ehv li_- it hurts a lot

000

Altaïr knew that if he struck now, Malik would murder him and not think twice about it. But this was a perfect time to strike the man down, whether he had a feather or not did not matter, it was just a formality and as long as Tamir died – who cared? He had snuck into the slaver's home, it was nearly dawn and most of the guards were too tired to be truly alert, Tamir was writing out documents in his study and Altaïr only had to cross the hall to end his life. His hidden blade slid out smoothly and began his cat like tread toward the man, he stepped over the threshold of the door – a sudden pained yell ripped through the house and caused the slaver to stand up in surprise. Altaïr concealed himself quickly; the temptation to strike as the man ran past was so strong he wondered why he stood idle. Perhaps it was because the only person who could have yelled was Tahlia and if he killed Tamir now, no one would go to her aid.

In her room, Tahlia was curled up in a ball on her bed, "_Zeh ko'ehv li_! Malik, what is happening?" the Dai tried to quiet her but another wail escaped her throat. He had come to check on her as usual, she had been fine until suddenly falling to the ground and complaining of the pain she was in. "It is too early for this!"

"Shush," he heard the battering of feet on the marble floors and swore, he could not be found here with her but he did not want to leave her either. "I have to leave you."

"No! Please! If it is time – if I have a girl! Malik I am scared, what am I going to do?"

He stroked her face gently, wiping at the tears falling steadily and gave her a helpless look, "I must go, we will both – no, all three of us, will be killed. I swear, I swear that this time I will come get you and I will get our child." He pressed his lips to her head and ran from the room, his figure barely vanishing as her door burst open. He heard the yelling of Tamir as he demanded they fetch the doctor, he wanted nothing more than to run in there and cut the man down but a noise below drew his attention. It was Altaïr staring up at him expectantly, as if to say, 'what are you doing up there?' he dropped down and ran past the other Assassin, "Move it, novice, we can not be seen here!" he hissed as he passed.

00

Tahlia had never felt so awful in her life. She had never been so frightened or lonely either…or in so much pain. A girl – she had had a little girl and not even got to see her, she was probably dead by now and it was all her fault. Tamir had been furious when he had seen the baby; apparently she had Malik's dark eyes and not a single feature similar to the monster that had taken her away. After demanding that she be thrown away like rubbish he had turned his fury on his wife – he used his words, his fists, his feet and anything else he could get hold of to harm Tahlia. Afterwards he had her thrown out into the streets to die. She had crawled to the nearest alley to hide, to cry and beg anyone that would listen to help her.

At one point she thought she was being held by someone warm, carried through the winding streets with reassuring words being whispered to her and then a jolt through her body sent her to darkness again. Altaïr put her down on the bureau floor, he knew she would most likely die but he was not going to leave her in a dirty alley bloody and beaten; he would have come for her sooner. "Malik…" he called through to the other room and received no answer, "Malik! I need you!" there was an angry mutter and he heard something being knocked over before the Dai appeared in the doorway, an angry scowl on his face and an obvious insult waiting to fall from his mouth. Instead of words there was a muffled gasp as he saw Tahlia – or what he thought was Tahlia – unmoving.

"Fetch the medical supplies and fill those basins with water." He ordered quietly as he knelt down beside the woman and moved her tangled and bloodied hair from her face, "Tahlia?" he said quietly, his voice trembling slightly as he wondered if she even still lived, "What did he do to you?" Altaïr placed the supplies beside the Dai and rushed to get the water before returning; he looked to Malik for some sort of direction, he would do what he could but he was no expert in healing. "Where did you find her?"

"The alley by the house…I left after the child was born and by the time I returned she was like this…I did not think he would react so violently."

Malik glared at the man with nearly black furious eyes, "You left her? You knew he was angry and you left her? Why were you even there?" he snatched the damp cloth from him and dabbed carefully at the large cut on her forehead.

"I was following your daughter." He snapped back angrily. He had never wanted Tahlia to get hurt but he was concerned for the child's safety and had followed the servant ordered to dispose of the child. "Tamir wanted her drowned in the well…the servant took her to a house instead and when I looked in she was being cared for."

"My daughter?" Malik asked with slight amazement, he had forgotten about the child upon seeing the condition of the woman and being reminded had him feeling more worry. Once he had decided that the head injury was not life threatening he moved to her other injuries, his voice held less of an edge as he told Altaïr what he needed to do to help. It took many hours to see to her, wrap her wounds, set her broken bones and then to watch her as she just lay there like a corpse. Her left arm was broken in two places, she had so many cuts and bruises that Malik and Altaïr were not sure they had even found them all yet; her face was barely recognisable through all the bruising. She would not be walking for weeks and if infection set in then they were sure she would die.

Altaïr disposed of the sullied water and bloody rags; he made tea and watched as Malik sat beside her, her head rested on his lap as she slept. "Tomorrow I will deal with Tamir, he will be inspecting his warehouse and I think everything that has happened will have him distracted…I can fetch the child also."

"No." the Dai said quietly as he stroked Tahlia's face, wishing she would open her eyes for him, "You said she was safe, she was being cared for…without Tahlia being conscious, I can not look after the baby; she would go hungry. I will ask Adin to watch the house, keep an eye on her and we will fetch her as soon as I know she will be able to be cared for."

She opened her eyes near noon, a pained groan slipping through her split lips and a failed attempt to get up that had Malik and Altaïr by her side. She looked at Malik for a long moment, almost as if she did not believe he was real, though, if she were dreaming he would not look so tired and haggard, his left sleeve would not be empty and they would have their baby between them. "They took her!" she suddenly yelled, she struggled against Malik's restraining arm and babbled senselessly that her baby was in danger.

"She is safe, a servant took her to a house and she is being cared for – Tahlia, please! Lay down before you open your wounds again." He forced her down gently, "Altaïr has his feather and Tamir will no longer hurt anyone, then we will get our daughter."

"The woman said her eyes were so dark she thought they were bottomless…I did not see them because they would not let me see her." she grabbed his hand and began apologising for failing; the Assassin clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes tightly. She had nothing to apologise for, she had not failed him and none of this was her fault. Her crying quickly turned to choking coughs and he looked round for anything to help her.

00

Altaïr put up with Malik's harsh words when he returned to the bureau. He had seen how desperately ill Tahlia was when he walked in, her bandages were spotted with red, her skin pasty and covered sweat; Malik took the details hastily and then returned to her side. She had gradually worsened over the hours, it didn't take a genius to see that she was dying – that her body was shutting down and not a damn thing could be done. She kept asking to see her baby, Malik had sent the Adin to collect the baby hours ago and he had yet to return. Altaïr decided to get out of the way by finding the novice.

He found him hovering outside the house that the baby was in and when he saw Altaïr he looked as if he wanted to bolt. "Master, i…I can not do it! This couple have been trying for a baby for years…they have tried everything to have a baby and they can not afford to buy one from a slaver. Their neighbour was telling me about how happy they both were, how they had shown her to everyone and that they have just spent a lot of money on toys, bedding…the woman's sister is nursing her. How do I take a baby from them?"

"An Assassin should not be so soft."

"I am a novice…I want Master Malik to have his child but…it seems cruel!"

00

Adin glared at Altaïr as if he were Robert De Sable himself, the soft gurgling of the baby he held did nothing to soften the novice's mood. All he could hear was the sobbing of the woman from the house and the begging she had done at Altaïr's feet – it was cruel. But then when he saw Tahlia, he felt torn, it was unfair to take the baby from the woman but to not let this woman see her baby would have been as bad. Malik helped Tahlia sit up and supported her as her baby was given to her, "She…she is so pretty – look Malik, our little Rani…I named her, I hope you do not mind." Malik shook his head and looked down at the tiny girl in her arms.

"It is a good name…we will have to find her somewhere to sleep."

Tahlia looked at him sadly, they both knew she was going to die and yet he was acting like nothing was wrong. As if she were not coughing up blood or struggling to breathe as he broken ribs pushed against her lungs. "I want you to make me a promise, Malik. Keep Rani safe, never ever let her get caught up in violence, do not let her end up working in a seedy bar, do not let her get married to a monster. Protect her from all the bad things…I want her to be happy and have all the things she could ever want."

"I promise. You must help me though because there is only so much I can do." He listened to her ragged breath for a moment and supported her arm as it seemed to weaken around their child. "I told you I would come for you. That you would both be safe. We can set up a bed for her in that corner, we may have to make a trip to the market and buy her clothes – yellow would go well and she will need something to snuggle up with. Once you are well enough we can take her out…show her to Kadar. What do you think?"

Adin looked to Altaïr nervously and the older Assassin gestured for him to leave. They filed out of the bureau silently and sat out on the roof. "Master Altaïr…he does know that she…" Altaïr nodded silently and the young novice sighed. Below them they could hear the Dai talking to her and making the baby gurgle.

"I will make sure that no harm will come to her…I will not even let her near the weapons in the bureau. She will be so loved and coddled that she will not even know pain exists…I promise that I will do anything – even if it means my life, for this little girl." He kissed the side of her head and gave her a little nudge, "Is that acceptable? …Tahlia?"

The novice moved to go back into the bureau but Altaïr stopped him, the young man's ears may not have been able to hear it but the Assassin heard it as if it were right beside him – as if Malik were leaning against his shoulder and sobbing brokenly. He had done that once when they were children. But now below him he could hear it…another thing Malik had lost and couldn't get back. "Let him be…let him mourn."

00

Altaïr trailed after Malik quickly as the man made determined tracks through the streets of Jerusalem, "Are you sure…think this through Malik! This is your child – she is all you have left of Tahlia – your family!" he grabbed his empty sleeve and jerked it, "Malik! She is all you have left!"

"And she will starve without a mother! I can not look after her alone, Altaïr…I can not give her the life Tahlia would have wanted." He jerked himself free and carried on toward the house his daughter had been taken from, "I can not give her everything she would want, I can not dedicate myself to her or keep her away from danger – I am an Assassin. I can not protect her from harm."

"So you are going to give her away?" Altaïr hissed angrily as he tried to block the man's path, "She will grow up never knowing who you are – she will never know who Tahlia was! Do you want that? Do you want to know you have a daughter and she will never call you father?"

Malik stopped to look at him, despite his anger at the man he knew Altaïr was trying to save him and he didn't have the energy to punch him for interfering. "Altaïr." He adjusted the squirming bundle in the crook of his arm and looked at the other man, "I can give her a loving family, a normal life…she can have it all. Everything I can not give her. I made a promise to Tahlia…I failed her every time I made a promise to her."

"Because of me! I – " Malik faced him again and silenced him,

"Not now. Do not ask for my forgiveness now because you are not ready…return to Masyaf and let me do what I must." Altaïr gave him a last pleading look and once he realised there was nothing we could do he turned his back and left. Malik stared at the house that his daughter had spent her first few hours in and knocked on the door. He stared down at the baby and smiled at her, "Even if I have to stand outside this house for the rest of my life…no violence will ever touch you." He looked up as the door opened and stared at the woman at the entrance. "Are you the ones who waited?"

000

…yeah…it's done…sorry it took so long…sorry it sucked! *huggles Malik*


End file.
